Butlins has denied speculation it was behind the rescheduling of Jeff Mangum’s ATP Festival at its Minehead resort.
ATP announced that the event has had to be rescheduled from its original Dec 2-4 dates to March 9-11, 2012, “due to unforeseen circumstances.”
Festival goers who have already booked travel to the event were furious at the decision and ATP’s refusal to give a reason for the move.
Butlins has already organised a 90s boyband weekender for the original dates, leading some festival goers to speculate the move was down to either a double booking or so that Butlins could run both events.
Both these rumours have been firmly denied by Butlins. A spokesperson said: “I can confirm that it was neither a double booking, nor a request from Butlins that ATP move so we could put in a different break, that resulted in ATP moving their weekend to March.
”We would never have chosen to have to invent a new break, get it on sale, and then sell it over a course of seven weeks if we had the choice.”
The Butlins spokesperson added: “ATP have run some great events at Butlins and continue to be a brand we enjoy doing business with.”
ATP are still refusing to disclose the real reason, only that the decision was not down to Jeff Mangum, who they say is also disappointed about the move.
Butlins had previously already arranged a 70s weekender on the March 9-11 dates, but has said these will be moved to make way for ATP.
The Butlins spokesperson also gives the first statement that the decision to move the event was ATP’s. The Butlins spokesperson said: ” When ATP let us know that they couldn’t do the early December break they asked whether they could move it to that particular date in March 2012.
The statement from Butlins continues: “As you’ve seen, we currently have a 70s break for sale on that date but we want to help ATP out so are planning to move the 70s break to the next weekend so that ATP can have the date that suits them and their artists best. This takes a bit of rejigging and communicating out which we are currently doing but is not yet complete. The two events will not both happen at once (that’d just be weird!). ”
ATP will reveal on November 10 a list of those artists on the original bill that cannot make the new dates. It will also unveil some new acts for the revised bill.
Already The Mountain Goats have ruled themselves out of the new dates, but Robyn Hitchcock has confirmed he will still be able to play at the festival.
by Joe Lepper
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The Magnum festival hadnt sold enough tickets simple as that, instead of making a loss Hogan et al decided to move it to March where it will probably sell out. Having two festivals in December in the current economic climate was a dumb idea. The nightmare atp has also not sold that well but they cant very well move a nightmare before xmas to March!! They dont care about the festival goer and money they waste on transport and air fares all they care about is their bottom line. ATP is nowadays all about the money
Well if that was the case then the bottom line is really about being able to actually pay the bands and being able to continue to put on more festivals… seems reasonable.. I don’t think the average person has even the slightest idea what putting together 5 or 6 festivals a year on this scale entails… having worked on a few smaller festivals I can only imagine what triple the work it must be. If people choose (key word “choose”) to fly to the festival its their own responsibility… harsh as that seems, thats life..is now and will always be.. money is money.. its obviously important to you as you state..but its not allowed to be important to them..? Unless you are like reading or glastonbury (with massive help from corporate sponsors). you aren’t getting rich on festivals like this .. hopefully you are breaking even enough to be able to put on the next one
John Wain, its Mangum not Magnum… you blew it in the first line….
based on the atrociuos communication after the cancellation, it is fair to believe that it is all about the money these days with atp. it was great at the begining with 1 festival per year in camber. now 3 or 4 per year in the uk alone, come on, no surprise that the line-ups got more & more repetitive. i have attended 10 atp festivals, it started to go downhill after the move to butlins despite the better facilities (maybe with the exception of the one with sleep & jesus lizard). the one at ally pally this summer finally was it for me…time to move on.
Atp took a risk and were greedy trying to do two festivals in December and when it didnt make enough money they moved it. The fans who paid for transport ultimately suffer, I dont believe that ATP have not sold enough tickets to pay the bands and make a small profit they just think they can make more profit in March by selling out the Mangum atp and some people now going to nightmare as well as Mangum.
Another thing, the atp membership scheme which I joined over a year ago has been awful. When it started I thought it was a great idea but it just never got going really. They hardly ever contact you and have never asked the fans for any ideas or feedback. It is us fans who keep them going by spending our hard earned money going to gigs and I feel they take us for granted.
I’m going to the supersonic festival this weekend in Birmingham http://www.supersonicfestival.com/line-up/ , I too have lost trust and faith in atp been to 9 festivals over the years and will carefully think about whether to go to one of their festivals again and will be looking out for festivals like supersonic
What a stupid thing to say that ATP is about money?
Of course ATP need money to survive and run a business, who doesn’t? Do you actually think “Hogan et Al” are rolling in a Bentley????
The reality is that its an extremelly difficult market with Corporate monsters like Live Nation (Annual Turnover of $4bn!!!)…
ATP is a family of music lovers trying to SURVIVE in a corporate world.
If they go under we all suffer as quality music fans…
You say time to move on????? Have fun at Hard Rock Calling in 2012!!!!
It’s silly to say: “It is us fans who keep them going by spending our hard earned money going to gigs and I feel they take us for granted.” You make it sound like we pay money to go to gigs like atp is some sort of charity. There are no festivals like atp where there is no corporate sponsorship everywhere, you get a shower of your own and a guarantee you won’t get soaked watching the bands. Plus the line up is always fantastic. It’s no more repetitive than any other festival, and the variety is amazing. Too many other festivals are too twee or too heavy. ATP has the perfect mix. If it died I would grieve. I just can’t imagine what’s caused the cancellation, but I bet it’s costing ATP to move it and they’d have been better off financially keeping it in December.